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New China-linked hackers breach telcos using edge device exploits
A sophisticated threat actor that uses Linux-based malware to target telecommunications providers has recently broadened its operations to include organizations in Southeastern Europe.
Tracked internally by Cisco Talos as UAT-7290, the actor shows strong China nexus indicators and typically focuses on telcos in South Asia in cyber-espionage operations.
Active since at least 2022, the UAT-7290 group also serves as an initial access group by establishing an Operational Relay Box (ORB) infrastructure during the attacks, which is then utilized by other China-aligned threat actors.
An old jeweler’s trick could change nuclear timekeeping
A team of physicists has discovered a surprisingly simple way to build nuclear clocks using tiny amounts of rare thorium. By electroplating thorium onto steel, they achieved the same results as years of work with delicate crystals — but far more efficiently. These clocks could be vastly more precise than current atomic clocks and work where GPS fails, from deep space to underwater submarines. The advance could transform navigation, communications, and fundamental physics research.
New Breakthrough to Restore Aging Joints Could Help Treat Osteoarthritis
A study in mice by researchers from Stanford University has traced the loss of cartilage that comes with aging to a single protein, pointing to treatments that may one day restore mobility and ease discomfort in seniors.
The protein 15-PGDH has previously been extensively linked to aging: it becomes more abundant as we get older, and interferes with the molecules that repair tissue and reduce inflammation.
That led scientists to consider whether 15-PGDH might be involved in osteoarthritis, where stress on joints leads to the breakdown of collagen in cartilage, causing inflammation and pain.
Your genes determine how fast your DNA mutates with age, study shows
An analysis of genetic data from over 900,000 people shows that certain stretches of DNA, made up of short sequences repeated over and over, become longer and more unstable as we age. The study found that common genetic variants can speed up or slow down this process by up to four-fold, and that certain expanded sequences are linked to serious diseases including kidney failure and liver disease.
More than 60 inherited disorders are caused by expanded DNA repeats: repetitive genetic sequences that grow longer over time. These include devastating conditions like Huntington’s disease, myotonic dystrophy, and certain forms of ALS.
Most people carry DNA repeats that gradually expand throughout their lives, but this instability and what genetic factors control it hadn’t been fully analyzed within large biobanks.